complicated and expensive project.” They went away to “lick their wounds,” but they couldn’t get the idea to build out of their minds. Despite the stress of the first attempt,  just had this itch I wanted to scratch.” By 2017, they had both retired, and decided to give it another go. With more time on her hands, Elaine was able to take greater control over the design and achieve a “complete change of plan” so that neighbours “couldn’t possibly say it was overdeveloped, or not in keeping.” They worked with the same architect on the


redesigned proposal, abandoning the upside down concept. Once again, the planners were happy but the same two neighbours complained, so Elaine decided to take matters into her own hands. “I wrote a letter to every single member of the planning committee,” she explains. “I knew they wouldn’t read it if it was too long so I kept it to one bullet-pointed sheet of A4.”


Their earlier problems reappeared, with the community council lodging an objection on the final day, and again going to committee in January 2018. This time however, one councillor – holding Elaine’s letter – put forward a motion for approval, meaning it went to a vote, approved by eight to six. “That personal touch seemed to make the difference.”


HANDS ON Tom and Elaine’s main requirement for the house was for it to support their needs the rest of their lives; as opposed to their old house, which was “full of stairs.” They consequently had a goal from the outset for the downstairs to contain a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. They also didn’t want the upstairs space to be wasted as a loft, so included further bedrooms and a bathroom, which they use currently. Their only other specific ask was for a sunny, triple aspect living room. “Other than that I was pretty open,” Elaine says. Part of her previous


70 www.sbhonline.co.uk


ob role as an enironmental health officer meant she saw a lot of people who ended up with unsuitable housing as their needs increased, so they also included wide doors throughout for a wheelchair if necessary in future. Another part of this futureproofing was making it well insulated and easy to maintain, which meant forgoing dust-gathering radiators and opting for underoor heating. Because the couple were going to be hands- on with many aspects of the project, Tom wanted the building to be wind and watertight quickly, so they opted for a timber frame kit. They came across Scotframe at one of the Homebuilding & Renovating shows, and were impressed in particular by the company’s closed panel system into which the insulation is injected, including in the roof cassette. Before they could start work onsite, Tom’s 6 x 11 metre garage had to be cleared and demolished  something of a sacrifice for him, admits Elaine, but the project became a higher priority than his hobby: “I think he became more interested in the challenge of building.” The garage had already been connected to mains water and electricity – which was “one less hassle” to endure. Tom had worked as a slater and roughcaster, so knew about working on sites, dabbling in various trades. While he did a lot of the physical work, Elaine took on the project manager role, as well as labouring wherever she could. While Tom had much of the practical experience required, Elaine’s former job had involved working with architects so she understood a lot of the terminology, and knew how to decipher plans. “We made a good team,” she says. They began work in 2018, sorting out the


garden – half of which would be for their current house and half for the new house. The work included filling in a large pond and remoing around 100 tonnes of soil. By March 2019, they had cleared and demolished the garage, before


nov/dec 2022


LOW POINT


“Getting a contractor in to make the sewage connection. He charged an arm and a leg, and we could’ve done it ourselves, but we were desperate by then!”


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